The Town of Salamá

When we travel north we work in the Salama District.  There are three branches of the Church there, each in a different town.  And each town seems to have a personality of its own.  In a few weeks that area will become part of the new Cobán Mission, so we don't expect to be going there anymore.  We thought we should tell you a bit about these towns.

Salama is the largest of these towns, with a population of about 20,000.  It sits in a beautiful valley that reminds us of Heber Valley as it is similar in size, and is an agricultural area as well.  Our farming friends, the Bonafacio Lopez family whom we featured in an earlier post, live at the top of the pass before you descend into the valley.  Besides the cathedral in the center of town, it has this old church with a great, big staircase.  The church, called El Calvario, was built in the 1600s.

Salama has an unusual number of motorcycles, noticeably more than anyplace we've been! These are usually not scooters, but 125 cc bikes. And we've seen as many as five on a motorcycle...two parents and three small children!  Everywhere you go there is a row of parked bikes.  And at least half of the riders are women!

Like most towns, Salama has an outdoor market where you can buy anything from fresh fruits and vegetables to shoe laces and baby chicks.  For a month the sister missionaries were living in an apartment above this market, while they waited to get into a new one.  The loud music on the street and constant activity made the location less than satisfactory for the missionaries who needed to study and sleep!



The hills outside of town proudly wear the name ¨Salama¨ in bold block letters, just like we see at home.  The branch is strong, with an outstanding branch president.  We have attended many baptisms here when we come for our weekend visits. They have two companionships serving here, both Elders and Sisters.  This is where we did divisions and went on visits with the missionaries, seeing new members, less-active members and investigators.  About 125-150 members attend meeting on Sunday.  We have attended temple day with the Salama Branch, as they have regular temple days where they leave in the wee-hours of the morning to get an early start at the temple.  We have also worked with them to prepare names for the youth to take on their temple trip, worked with the district president, solved problems for the branch president, and spoken in Church.  We have had some wonderful experiences here, and we will miss our association with them!